Christmas Eve

There is nothing like a little last minute shopping with a friend!Then to the other Man in your life.... to watch the Christmas Eve service with Daddy.We had a great time after the service, having a traditional Chili dinner with our dear friend Natalie and her family. Natalie showered Megan with some gifts...

Which she loved!!!!And, she spent the rest of the evening playing with. She's still pushing that dolly in her stroller. Thanks Nah-a-lee.

I'm desperately trying to get some Christmas photo's uploaded - but for some reason it's really really slow.... and with Megan being sick - it just may not happen till the new year!

We wish you an Ear-y Christmas

Is it a family tradition?
Do I dare call it that... I hope not!
It seems our family has carried on with a tradition that unfortunately started last Christmas....
Ear infections!

After a call at 8:30 am (soon as the office opened) to my pediatrician's office, we got an appt at 8:45 am - you should have seen me booking it over there. I was just glad to get in asap on Christmas eve! Megan politely started coughing and wheezing - so we are on the nebulizer AND on steriods again... OH NO! They said it was probably her reactive airway responding to the cold....We have a flight coming up and I'm now really concerned about flying with a toddler who's on steriods. UGH.

Then came the ear check......
The conversation went like this...
DR: Oh, that is a really bad looking ear, it's extremely infected.
ME: Oh, I was really worried about that left ear.
DR: Well that was the right ear, let me check the left one.
ME: Last week she was pulling at that right ear and I was worried it was infected, but then she stopped so I chalked it up to teething. So it is infected - great.... Yesterday evening she was having a fit about her left ear. That was the main reason we came in.
DR: That's because it is worse than the right one. It's really really really bad. If you hadn't come in, you'd probably be in the ER with a ruptured ear drum.
ME: Great - where do I pick up my parent of the year award?

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!
May you have an antibiotic, steriod and nebulizer free Christmas!

Serious Arm Strength

At our little gym class at the local park, Megan's instructors have been amazed at how strong she is. This is not news to me.... I have had battles with her over things she's not allowed to grab, and prying her fingers open is no small task. At halloween she tried to pick up pumpkins, and actually got a few off the ground. I know she's strong! I have had my battles with that cute little hulk.

In class, she'll hang from the uneven and parallel bars - just hang there and pull her legs up and point them straight in front of her. It's pretty amazing I must say. Last week one of the teachers swung her in that position and Megan never let go - she loved it! (Not only does she have great arm strength, she's also a hanger... some climb, Megan will hang onto anything - side of a table, tree branch, you name it).

Tom really got a taste of her arm strength when he tried to pick her up at lunchtime. Megan wasn't ready to eat and wanted to sit and read in her chair a little while longer.... Note that grasp she has on the chair as it hangs in the air below her....
Of course, at first she was upset, but once the camera came out - she realizes she was cute and put on the smile.

Watching Mommy Cook

I have a fabulous helper in the kitchen!
She loves to watch me cook....
Megan likes to be in on the action. No matter what I'm doing, she always has recommendations as to how to make it better. She'll walk up, grab my legs, demand to be held up (or want to drag a chair over), and then the "help" arrives... She has a good helpful vocabulary when it comes to the kitchen.... It goes something like this:
stir, cut, spoon it, cook, beep beep (that's Meganese for microwave), light, oven...
She has a hard time understanding why some things go on the stove to cook, and some go in the oven.

All that said... you'd think I actually cooked a lot. Yeah, not so much I have to say. I'm trying to do better and manage my time better - but it's a struggle. Especially with my little helper always on my heels. The first sound of a pan and she's in there. Makes cooking a little challenging.

First Presents

This weekend, we met up with some friends for breakfast at IHOP. A fun tradition on Saturday... it makes the fact that you are already awake at the horrid hour of 7am on SATURDAY a little less horrid. Kenny gave Megan her first gift of the Christmas season....Let's just say - this is definitely going to be a fun Christmas. With a couple of ornaments to open, and her big gift - she was in hog heaven trying to get that wrapping paper off. I am so excited to see her on Christmas morning! And Megan LOVES her little cookie baking set. She uses the gingerbread handmitt like a puppet and was serving me cookies from the tray. It was super sweet. Thanks Kenny, Robyn, and Kevin!

Wonderland

We had a super special treat tonight. We trotted over to a dear friends house for her annual "Winter Wonderland" for kids. Joy decorates her house every year - inside and out and then they invite some little tykes over to take in the magic of it all.When we arrived, Megan was mesmerized by the outdoor decorations. The lights were awesome, but their inflatables really had her in her own little Wonderland.

After she danced to the tunes of Santa's band, we headed inside for some more magic!
From all of Joy's dancing and moving Christmas decorations, this carousel was one of her favorites. The stairs were lined with them (each horse a little different), and she checked out each one.
And not to mention the giant nutcracker.

There were so many things and so many pictures - but none of them do it all justice. I think she could have stayed all night. Just one of those fun nights that makes you love the Christmas season.

Who is that girl?

So, my friend Suzanna posted this picture from a recent White Elephant Christmas party. I saw it and thought, how cute...3 sweet girls in red, Caroline, Abby....- but who is that other girl? Then I realized - holy cow, that's Megan. She just looked so much older in the picture I hardly recognized her. And then again, maybe it was the lack of a bow and/or hair in her eyes. :^)

What to do on a muggy winter day?

OK so officially it's not winter yet (3 days left in Fall)... but you wouldn't know it with our frigid temps. So what do you do on a day when temps suddenly rise to 70 degrees when it's been in the 20's-40's?????

Head to the zoo - of course!I have to say I've never gotton there when it opens (ok, let's be real - we were late). I loved it. All the animals are right there to greet you. Megan walked right up to the fence and turned to me, pointed and said.... "Nigh no" - which is Meganese for "Rhino." We have so many animal books and she loves them, but I didn't even know she knew the word Rhino, let alone identify him. Love that little girl!!!

We met up with some friends and had a blast....

The monkeys, monkeying around...
Megan was excited to see many of her little boyfriends - especially Jackson (who she calls Jack jack) and Will.

One of our fun "firsts" was to ride the train at the zoo. We hitched a ride with our friends Nate (in front of her) and Bryce (in back of her). We also took a quick ride on the zoo Merry-go-round (which Megan calls 'mare mare'). I have to say, that was the fastest Merry-go-round I've ever been on. Megan loved it. If you've been on the one at our mall... this one is 2-3 times faster! whoa!

And this was my sweet pea about 3 minutes after driving out of the zoo, she was trying to keep her eyes open and talk to me, but lost the battle before we were even on the expressway to go home. AND... I must say, the zoo was a good trip - that pumpkin slept for 3 1/2 hours today. WooHoo!

Our First Ballet

We had a fun and unique field trip today. We got to go see my neice, Anna, in her ballet class. Anna is the cutie in the green Christmas sweater.

Today was their Christmas party so family was invited to watch them in their class. So adorable! It's a really neat dance school. It's Christian oriented with a motto of Discipling through Dance. As they teach the kids, there is also character development going on. For example, in the video at the end, they are learning to skip and they go in pairs - the rest of the kids have the job of being encourager's (and the song they use is about encouragement). It's really cute to see the kids learning skills while praising God.

Megan loved all the dancing. She really wanted to get down and join them. At one point they were on the floor doing some foot exercises and practicing foot movements and Megan was kicking me as she tried to imitate what they were doing. It was painfully sweet.

The girls did such a great job (way to go Anna!) and didn't seem to be overwhelmed by the parents and grandparents (and aunt and cousin). They end the class with a dance of praise and worship. As the teacher described to the parents.... with the classes, sometimes as the girls get older they lose the joy of just dancing because they want to be told what to do and are used to moves being choreographed. So they end all their classes by turning off the lights and letting the girls have their own song to dance however they want to Worship the Lord. You'll see it at the end of the video clip - it was precious.

Now I just wish this place wasn't so far away so that one day Megan could go there.... I'll have to start looking around for something similar.

The Couch

The funniest thing happened today and I had to write it down for my own memory.

Do you know who these "folks" are??????

Megan does!

It's Loonette and Molly from the Big Comfy Couch.

Still don't know who they are? Check them out here on The Big Comfy Couch YouTube link.

We randomly happened upon an episode (12:00 on PBS) one day when I needed a minute to get Megan's lunch fixed... Let's just say, Megan is a HUGE Molly fan (that's the dolly). She could start her own "Molly Fan Club." We usually aren't around a tv to watch it so it's rare for her to see an episode (although I did just find it on our free on-demand shows), but she's soaked up what she has seen and remembers it very vividly!

For example... tonight we went out to dinner with my family after our church Christmas Concert (I forgot the camera and missed her excitment as she saw Daddy on stage). The restaurant we went to had a huge couch. Megan climbed up on it and started trying to pull something out of it (there was nothing in the couch). But on The Big Comfy Couch, that's where Loonette stores all her stuff. Megan was digging under the cushions asking for a book. I was so confused until she started babbling about Molly. Then I realized she was looking for a book the way that Loonette looks for a book.

How stinkin cute is that!?!?

Also reminds me that she is a sponge right now and is remembering a lot more than I would give her credit for. What a fun time to watch her grow!

Moments of the Week

When at Will's house... they have a favorite hiding spot.
MMMMMMMMM....
C is for Cookie!

Hello Baby!

Megan is enamored with a new little friend... Lynley.
This week we had the pleasure of watching Lynley for a bit - and Megan was beside herself with excitement. Prior to Lynley's arrival - I went downstairs and pulled out some of our baby gear from storage. Megan was in hog heaven. She put her babydolls in the swing and bouncy seat.. and then thought - hey, that used to be mine.....

Yes in the split second that I did turn around, she somehow climbed into the baby swing. I think she realized she was in trouble when she couldn't silently get out. I have no idea what the weight limit is on that thing - but I'm pretty sure she's over the limit!

As soon as Lynley arrived, Megan wanted to make sure she tried out the swing (after all, I'd just spent an hour telling her it was for little babies like Lynley, not for big girls). Lynley prefered the baby papasan vibrating seat. Megan wanted to make sure she was all comfy so she was prepared to get the pacifier in her mouth (even if Lynley really didn't want it).

We had a lot of fun with Lynley - and Megan is now asking for Lynley to come over to play. Poor Lynley.... she doesn't know what she's in for.

The Magi

Sunday night we went to see my nephew perform at his church.
He was one of the Magi in the Christmas story - he's the one on the right with the big red hat.
To say that Megan LOVED the performance... would be an understatement!This was Megan's look through the whole performance.... when she saw Daniel on stage (I was surprised she saw him) she yelled out "Da-uel". Then she kept yelling it out... :^) She would wave and wave - oh so excited that Daniel was on that stage. She clapped and clapped while they sang and would give a hearty, "yeeeaaaaahhhh!" at the end of a song. I have to say, it was a little embarassing since I was holding the loud child - but I wouldn't have traded it for the world. She was so sweet and just wanted to love on and cheer on her cousin.
Even off the stage, she realizes that the Magi is pretty darn cool!

Happy 21 Months!

I can't believe that Megan is actually 21 months. I remember a few months back I was watching some "older kids" (21-22 months) and seeing how much more "stuff" they could do than Megan and wondering when she'd start doing those things.... the day has come.



Tom and I sneeked up on her this weekend and just watched her play. I cannot begin to tell you how much joy there was in silently and secretly watching her. We have entered into the phase of true make believe. For as long as I can remember Megan's always tried to mimic our actions, especially with her dolls and stuffed animals (especially Elmo), but this weekend I realized she had taken it to a new level.

She's setting up tea parties.... what a little girl!

Let me set the stage properly.... see those chairs. I peeked in (wondering why she was so quiet and what mess she was getting into) and she had the doll in the blue chair with a cup, plate and DQ ice cream sandwich (as all parties should have), and a waffle to share. She had her yellow chair set up with the same things. But then the "problem" materialized.... she couldn't figure out how to sit in her chair without knocking everything off.

So then she reset up the tea party on the floor. That alone was so stinkin cute... then she proceeded to pretend to eat and drink and then feed her babydoll. And they shared the waffle - one got a bite, then the other....

I tell you what - makes a momma's heart melt and eyes tear up. I sure do love that little girl!

That's Babysitting?

This weekend, I left a sick Tom home with a cute little girl while I went to a baby shower. I got home and found that this is how Tom keeps Megan under control while I'm gone...So.... that's the secret - contain and confine! And of course, let her invite a few friends over (that would be Tickle Me Elmo and Baby Elmo).

And when they start to get a little ancy - just take them for a little ride....Out of all the toys in the house, Megan's new favorite toy is our clothes basket. And when Daddy got tired.... she took over as the chauffeur for her friends. What a little hostess - making sure everyone was having a good time. Out of all the toys in our house - Megan's newest favorite toy is our clothes basket. I can't keep clothes in there. I was getting ready this morning and Megan was in the closet trying to climb in the basket. And when she realized she needed more room... she just took the clothes out - after all - it's hers... right????

Candy Cane Breakfast

This weekend, we had a fun morning outing with some friends at church. Each year they sponsor "The Candy Cane Breakfast" for kids and their families. The kids choirs sing, they read the Christmas story, there are a few crafts (as a newbie, I missed out on those - but next year, I'll be prepared), and of course - you eat.

We tried to get a picture of a few of the kids from our Sunday school class families (we missed several families who darted out quickly)....Let's just say, it worked a lot better with Mom's and Dad's in the picture too... Megan and I were solo. We had left a sick daddy at home. Next year, I'm sure it'll be a full family affair! (And Tom is feeling better!)

The love of cousins

This is a bit of a catchup post.... Last weekend we got together with my family. I got some cute pictures I had to post of Megan with her cousins. Why does Megan love daniel so much??

He lets her "beep" his nose(and they share a name... Danielle is her middle name).

And don't forget Justin and Anna - who let Megan tag along and play with the Tinkertoys with them.

And whenever Megan can, she'll slip in and catch a story with Aunt Kelly and her cousins (she missed this opportunity - but then again, Papa and Grandma were still here).

And a trip to Grandma's house always ends with some yummy (and messy) dessert....

We rode the Pig!

Megan got to experience a true Atlanta tradition yesterday...
The Pink Pig!

It's changed a lot over the years. It started many many years ago in the downtown Rich's department store circling over the toy department (before my time), then it moved to the top of Rich's to go around the great tree (that's where it was when I first rode it). Now it's moved to the Rich's parking lot under a big tent. Not quite as fantastic as I remember, but it was fun (in a hokey kind of way). We met up with our friend Will in the parking lot - the kids held hands and were mesmerized by all the pink.....

Here she comes.....

Megan, taking it all in...

Some of our other friends on the rear of the pig.

It was fun to have an outing with a bunch of friends - and perhaps start a new tradition.

A Christmas To Remember

This week we had a wonderful formal dinner hosted by the Women's ministry at our church. Women volunteer to decorate a table. The tables are amazing and each one is a different theme. This was my first year volunteering as a hostess. It's a bit overwhelming because you bring your fine china and best decorations.... well... I don't exactly have fine China. Never saw a need for it, I'm just not a hostess of that caliber - Kudos to all that are... but if you've been to my house for a big dinner, you've probably eaten on paper plates. :^)

So some sweet friends, Natalie and Tressa, volunteered to help with the table. I have to say, our "Simple" Christmas table was wonderful. The goal - to keep the focus on the meaning of Christmas.

The nativity scene was the perfect centerpiece. Thanks to everyone at our table - I hope you had as much fun as we did!

Tis the Season

What fun to decorate and get ready for the Christmas season. By far, this is my most favorite time of year. This year, Grandma and papa got to help us decorate the house. Megan even got her own little tree in her room. In the future we are going to use this tree for what I hope will be a new tradition for us... a Jesse Tree. It'll be our own special touchable and teachable Advent calendar. I decided to forgo it this year simply out of lack of time and energy - so instead, this year, it's just Megan's special Christmas tree.

We are starting a tradition of celebrating Advent with our family Advent wreath and our magnetic Advent calendar. Each door holds a magnetic addition to build a nativity scene. Megan is loving it. The hardest part is stopping her at one door a day. If she could have it her way, we'd just play with it all day long.Our Little People nativity set is on the floor by the Advent calendar - unfortunately Joseph is MIA... don't know where he trotted off too. Thankfully Baby Jesus makes it back to the creche each night. One of the sweetest things I'll remember about this year is listening to Megan try to say "Baby Jesus" - it comes out sounding like "Baby Deez" - so sweet it makes a momma tear up. On of the funniest things I remember is Megan being adamant that Mary did not ride in on a donkey! She is very sure Mary belongs on the camel. Not sure where that comes from, but lets just say her strong-willed personality comes out if you even attempt to put Mary on the donkey. It's made for some interesting re-tellings of the Christmas Story.

I have several Nutcrackers from my teaching days and Megan is very enamored with them. They are different sizes and she's sure to tell you if she wants to see the little one or one of the big ones. She loves it when the nutcrackers "talk" to her. I love watching her try to watch the lever on the back and the mouth open at the same time. Thankfully they are tattered and have been abused by many children prior to Megan so her loving on them is so natural and sweet.

And it's all just starting.... Hope everyone else is off to a great start in celebrating the Birth of Jesus. I've always loved Christmas, but now, it's amazing how so much thought is going into the whats and whys of our celebrating because I want this to be not only a fun season, but a memorable and teaching time for our little girl. Tis the season!